


Healing Hands

by mementomoe



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Chocolate Box, Chocolate Box - Round 2, Chocolate Box 2017, Chocolate Box Treat, F/M, Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-18 19:12:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9398981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mementomoe/pseuds/mementomoe
Summary: Just because you know who your soulmate is, doesn't mean you have to accept it immediately.Or...In which Artemis learns to trust Wally West.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OvereducatedAndOverworked](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OvereducatedAndOverworked/gifts).



“Hold still,” Artemis said as she took the scrap of Vertigo’s cape from his hand. Her arm went around his forearm for a moment, and he could feel his bone set. It almost hurt as much as Black Adam’s punch, or when Newton’s Third Law kicked in when he hit that tree — which actually broke the bone.

But then… nothing. The pain was gone. She wrapped the scrap and tied it like a sash, and set his right arm in it.

She tried to say something, but Wolf then hit her, and Ultra-Humanite tried to get him. It was easy to run though. Easier than it was only moments before, with the pain gone.

After the battle, after the Injustice League had been captured, after Nabu thankfully freed his friend from the prison that was his Helmet, Wally looked over to the others. “Hey, um, M’gann, you took a nasty fall, maybe you could ask Artemis to do this thing she did with me. It got rid of all the pain.”

Artemis looked at him for a moment. “I… I didn’t do anything special. Just made a sling and put your arm into it. I tried to set the bone, but your costume’s reinforced. No give.”

But… his bone had been set.

“Wait, but…”

Robin cackled and M’gann smiled. “I’ve heard about this back on Mars. When you find someone truly special, you can take their pain away. Sometimes heal it.”

“We have that legend here too,” Wally said. “It’s a common thing on the internet. It’s just bull in my opinion.”

“Kid,” his uncle chided. “Don’t.”

“We can go back to the cave,” Batman said. “There will be a debriefing, and we’ll also check on your bone, Kid Flash.”

When he looked over at Artemis, she seemed just as confused.

His best friend still cackled. “Figured it was the case.”

Back at the cave, both the integrity of his suit and the setting of his bone were confirmed.

“I’m so happy for you both,” M’gann said. “It’s great you two fit so well, but Hello Megan, it was so obvious.”

After he got the cast, Robin found some excuse to get everyone else to leave, though Artemis stayed.

“Look,” she said. “I… I didn’t believe it was a real thing either. The healing hands, I mean.”

Wally nodded his head. “I’m only really letting magic not be part of Clarke’s Third Law. It was easy to dismiss the legends as that, but having this thing, it doesn’t help that I’m going from denial to distrust.”

Artemis nodded her head. “Let’s just pretend it’s not real, for the most part, until…”

“Yeah, I like that. It’ll take time.”

And they did. Artemis never brought it up, and neither did he.

It still was hard to look at M’gann. She still was amazing, but at the same time, she was so supportive and happy for _finding his soulmate_ he couldn’t try to break it. Not with her, at least. Maybe that girl at his school he had a crush on the year before. Linda. They shared a class. Maybe he could tutor her.

He didn’t ask. She had started to see someone else, and didn’t need a tutor for the class they shared. Or any class. Fate conspired against him. He blamed Nabu. Nabu was easy to blame for all this. At least things seemed fine when they found Red Tornado.

And the training mission went terribly. Both of them ended up in front of Black Canary.

“So you really have no interest in confronting your extreme reaction to Artemis’s death?” she asked.

Wally choked. “I… no… it was just that I like that we have that weird healing thing. I’d rather talk about you, babe.”

Canary shrugged. “It’s a real phenomena, Wally. You aren’t the only heroes who have them. Arrow and I heal well thanks to a bond like yours. It helps.”

He did not need to know that.

“Have you and Artemis even spoken about it?”

He didn’t answer. It was easy to pretend it was just a quirk, and not… not a sign they were _Soulmates_. That word bothered him. Besides, Artemis didn’t seem to like him much. They were good allies, and worked well, but they still needled each other.

“You’re in denial, Wally.”

He took another bite of popcorn. “I’m fine with that.”

When he got out, Artemis was there. “Hey, want to play a video game?” she asked. “I don’t want to think about what my death must have… you know.”

He held onto his popcorn bowl. “Can’t.” He lifted his right arm. “Cast, remember? I can’t really hold a controller.”

“I’ve never played video games before,” she said. “My family… well, Ollie only recently met with me and Mom.” One hand went over to the other elbow and pulled her shoulders in. It was an odd admission, but it was probably meant to make it sound more equal.

Wally gave a hesitant smile. “Well, I can teach you then. We got a bunch of great games. Hope everyone doesn’t mind too much.”

It was fun. Artemis was shit at the game, but at the same time, she proved her reflexes were good, if not for the fact sometimes it seemed she jumped to try and fight the monsters as if it were real. It wasn’t something he had seen in anyone before. Even on the huge screen.

“Are… are you okay?” he asked after they stopped the game. Artemis stood by the Zeta tubes.

“I’m fine. There’s just something I’m thinking about sharing. Not sure I’m ready though.”

“Well, my birthday’s on the eleventh if you want time to work up the courage.”

“I’ll take that,” she said.

Artemis only showed up for a while on Halloween. She and Zatanna disappeared after a few words were spoken. It was probably better for him. It would be weird going to a party with her. Even with others around, it was still something he hadn’t really accepted. She hadn’t either.

She came back in her Superhero costume while he laughed with M’gann and Supey late at night, if not early in the morning. While there wasn’t anything other than a few bruises, she sat down next to him and rested her shoulder on him.

“Have something to share?” he asked.

“Later. Just need this.”

He put his arm behind her. Despite himself, he smiled. While until the Injustice League, these kinds of things were what he imagined with M’gann, sometimes it was easy to replace Artemis in those girlfriend fantasies.

They just sat next to each other for an hour before she said she needed to head home.

“See you tomorrow?” she asked. She seemed a lot less hurt than before.

He nodded his head. “You need to learn more about games, Artemis.”

She smiled as she walked into the Zeta Tube. It called out her designation and flashed. She was gone.

He found out the next day from Zatanna that they faced someone who stole a magical artefact and helped a ghost find peace. A couple months ago, and he would have dismissed it as a ridiculous story. These days he was just grateful that the ghost wasn’t the one who hurt Artemis.

The next few days were quiet, thankfully. November often was. Both of them arrived at the cave every evening, if only to spend time talking. Artemis didn’t jump when enemies popped out from behind a door.

Then there was the day that those over 18 all disappeared. It was an odd age to pick, in Wally’s opinion. He later googled all the things that 18 meant, and that list was interesting (Driving in China, buying alcohol in the U.K.), but he almost thought 20 would be a better age. It was a round number.

It also was interesting watching Artemis with the kids they rounded up in the Happy Harbor High Gym. She had to have been messing up the songs on purpose, but she wasn’t comfortable with kids. Just like her issues with the jump scares in the video games.

“Hey,” he said. He walked up to her and set his hand on her shoulder. “If you want, you can take a break. Head back to your place. I’ll handle the kids.”

She shook her head. “I’ve seen my place empty too often. I don’t want to again.”

It was a slip of the tongue. It had to have been. She was Green Arrow’s niece. Even if things were… complicated, certainly she had a good family. A good mother.

Unless she wasn’t…

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” he said.

“You’ll find out why in a week,” she said. “I don’t mind you hearing that now. I’ve almost found the words to tell you. If you’d keep it secret.”

After the fight with Klarion, neither wanted to leave for the night, even with school the next day. They both called their parents and said they needed to stay at HQ, but would be back in the morning.

Wally lamented almost losing someone to Nabu again. More, that this time, Kent was sent on, and that Giovanni Zatara gave up his life for Fate.

“You said before that it was just… beta waves,” Artemis said. “You believe now?”

He sighed. “It’s hard, but… yeah. I don’t want to believe. I want there to be more reason than there is. But Nabu, and then this… this _thing_ we have. I can’t deny magic exists. I can still hate magic on principle, though. At least until the one in control of it can prove otherwise.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Magic sucks.”

They slept by each other’s side. It was more like a sleepover as a kid than anything else. They were both in their casual clothes. He wasn’t sure he’d admit to it even to Rob yet, but holding Artemis’s hand was… nice. Very nice. It felt like the healing power of soulmates also worked with his mind.

The next day, he had a doctor’s appointment after school. His arm healed faster than expected. He was supposed to get it off on his birthday, but he was better far ahead of schedule. It definitely made his day, even if he didn’t admit to anyone that he pretty much slept next to his soulmate.

On his birthday, it snowed. While at first it was joyous, it got almost nerve-wracking as it continued. Keystone didn’t get constant hours-upon-hours of snow like that. He only just managed to Zeta to the cave before even the tubes couldn’t handle the atmospheric disturbance.

When he blew out the candles, there was only one thing on his mind.

 _I wish Artemis was able to trust me enough to tell me what she almost did last month_.

“What’d you wish for?” M’gann asked. She had a smile on her face as she did so. If this... this _thing_ with Artemis hadn’t been the case, maybe he’d ask for a birthday kiss, but he hadn’t tried to flirt, at least seriously flirt, with her since the news. She was just so… _supportive_. Even with the unspoken agreement he had with Artemis about being soulmates, he caught the Martian smiling when they sat with each other.

While no one ever told him, that forced distance and guilt made it clear there was something going on between her and Conner. They didn’t say anything out loud, but they did often duck away from the rest of the Team when everyone was in the Cave every now and then.

He laughed. “Well, if I told you, it wouldn’t come true, y’know? You all will have to guess.”

M’gann gave him a slice of cake. “Is this what you want?”

He laughed. “It’s a start.”

After ten minutes, Artemis walked up. “There’s something I need to tell you,” she said. “In private.”

He looked up at her as he took another slice of cake. “We can head over to one of the other rooms if you want, Artemis.”

“That’s fine, Wally,” she said. “I’m glad you got your cast off, by the way.”

He smiled. “Yeah, uh… that room we used last week, after… well, you know.”

She nodded her head. They walked along the hallway and entered that room. It was his souvenir room, as well. Trophies from various missions. Two were missing. Artemis’s Arrow from the Amazo incident, used to create the EMP. Fate’s helmet, now worn by Giovanni Zatara.

Artemis sat down on the bed. “I suppose I should start with my name. You don’t know it. It’s… it’s Artemis.”

He almost laughed, but it must have taken a lot for her to say as much. It was clear she meant her real name, not just her handle on the team. “As in, the name on your…”

“Yeah,” she said. “On my birth certificate. It’s oddly perfect, and rare enough no one would think it’s also my real name. My father gave it to me because he wanted another hunter in the family. Another… another _assassin_.”

_“He probably wants me to kill you.”_

“So you weren’t confused back in Bialya.”

She shook her head. “I think you’ve met my father. The files say that you fought Sportsmaster on Santa Prisca.”

She was the daughter of Sportsmaster. The daughter of a mercenary. Last known to work for the League of Shadows, for the Injustice League. No wonder she was so confident about that first fight. She had _grown up_  with the League of Shadows, more or less.

“My family… weren’t good people. My mom went to jail for ten years, and she’s making an honest effort to do better, both for herself and me. She only got out in August, though. Before… before then, most of the time…”

He nodded his head. “You went home to an empty house. That's what you said last week.”

She nodded her head. “Well, apartment, but yes. I… I want to do better, Wally. I hadn’t wanted to follow Dad’s… desires for a year before this all happened. I just got my first chance that night in August.” She wrapped her arms around herself again.

He split them apart. “Your family doesn’t define who you are. I know I have Uncle Barry, but we’re not blood related. You want to be a hero, and you belong on this team. I trust you. I trust you more than ever, now, but you don’t have to tell the others.”

“Thanks. I just figured that with our… thing, it was worth trying.”

He nodded his head. “Yeah. It was worth it.”

“Attention,” Batman’s voice said over the intercom. “I need everyone to the briefing room. Polar stealth.”

They looked at each other and smiled. The day just got better.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know you listed a different Soulmate AU in the ODs, but I felt like anything too big and obvious would make it hard for Wally to be IC. I instead went for something just subtle enough that it can be passed off as rumor to skeptics, but at the same time undeniable in the case of Wally and Artemis.
> 
> I also chose not to go into who the team has for soulmates, since I don't want to force my own preferred pairings on these characters. We'll see what season 3 has in store for us.


End file.
